Page 89 of Cunning Lies
He’s still trying to play us, but it’s more personal now. It’s not just about the guns or his client. It’s about his finger. About Patrick. About what he knows I’m doing to Vi.
“Vi thinks he’s dead,” I say, as a warning, but Jay doesn’t take the bait.
“If I know my kid, he did what he thought was best.”
I force myself to pretend like none of this bothers me. But inside, I imagine shooting Jay in the head, just like I did to his son. His brains would splatter on the ceiling, his body melting into that kaleidoscope carpet until the wakashu came to clean him up.
I’ll give him a few more days, enough time so that I can talk to Vi and make her see the truth. After that, Jay will be gone.
“Patrick is one thing, but Vi? She’s a good girl,” Jay says absentmindedly. He taps the bar, and the bartender brings him a shot of vodka, like he’s been drinking herelongbefore I showed up. “I knew it wasn’t a good idea to make a deal with the yakuza, but if anyone can survive, it’s her. She’s a fighter. She’s been through so much.”
Those words sink into me. Jay kept Vi alive to get that life insurance money, but now, she’s disposable. An offering he’s willing to sacrifice to the yakuza. A way to get closer to what he wants. He’sstillusing her. He probably used Patrick in the same exact way.
If Vi died for this deal, it wouldn’t matter to Jay. And yet, Vi thinks he’s doing this for their family.
What fucking family?
“You raised a good one.” I smack his back, my jaw clenched tight. “I’m glad you found her.”
Because now, she’s mine.
“Does that mean I can get the job? Negotiate and everything?” he asks.
I nod, knowing that this may be a mistake, but it is the only option I’ve got right now. I can’t kill him, which means I’ve got to find another way to get rid of him. I need to keep him close to me until I don’tneedhim anymore. Once I’ve convinced Vi that Jay doesn’t deserve her loyalty, he’ll be desert trash, roasting under the sun.
“I’ll meet you in Red Rock Canyon in a few days,” I say. An idea pops into my head; maybe I can get GHF to kill him instead. That way, Vi can’t hate me for it. “We’ve got a stash there. I’ll have you handle it, and when you’re done, we can discuss other options.”
“You keep your guns out there, in the desert?” he asks.
The desert is vast, so I don’t give him a direct answer. I tilt my head to the side. “We’ll see if you’ve got what it takes.”
He offers me his hand. “You’re a good man, Ken.”
I snicker, holding in a scoff. “Kenzo,” I correct.
I shake hands with the traitor, and then I leave.
CHAPTER28
VI
Minutes slipby as my sanity slips away. Kenzo is going to rip me apart like a helpless insect, and I refuse to be fragile. I need to do something—to take action—but I don’t knowwhatto do. There’s no way to pick his office’s doorknob—it’s digital, and I need his phone to access it, anyway—so I’m going caveman style. I cradle a heavy vase under one of my arms, staring at the office door. I don’t want to give the GHF information to Uncle Jay, so I have to find something else. Something just as good to satiate our client.
I don’t want to screw Kenzo or his family over, but I have to dosomethingbefore I destroy everything else.
I dial Uncle Jay one last time, crossing my fingers that he’ll answer and talk me out of smashing this vase. He’s the only one who’s been there for me since I was a kid, who didn’t give me up to the foster care system, whochoseto raise me. If this is for our tiny family, for our future, for our house on the beach, then I can do this, even if it means hurting Kenzo.
My heart screams that Kenzo is good, but my brainknowshe’s bad. Worse than anyone we’ve seen in our line of work. Worse than us, and that’sbad.
I lift the vase.
“One,” I whisper. “Two—”
I slam it down on the handle and the vase breaks, tiny shards of ceramic shooting against my pants. I jump back in surprise. The sound echoes in my ears like a drum.
I glance back up. The doorknob is still there, fully intact. But now, there’s a broken vase shattered on the ground.
Damn it!
